by our College Data Analytics TeamThose considering lay ministry, take a look at other closely related fields of study. Here you will find majors with similar career paths, related concentrations and specializations, and the most popular similar majors, ranked by annual graduates.
Programs here prepare graduates for occupations that overlap with those of lay ministry, based on the NCES CIP-to-SOC career crosswalk. Sorted by the number of shared occupations.
| Similar Major | Shared Careers | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Contemplative Studies/Inquiry | 2 | 10 |
| Religious Music and Worship, Other | 2 | 6 |
| Thanatology | 2 | 6 |
| Bible/Biblical Studies | 1 | 3,603 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 1 | 757 |
| Church Planting | 1 | 10 |
| Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling | 1 | 187 |
| Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Other | 1 | 4 |
| Missions/Missionary Studies | 1 | 1,235 |
| Religious Education | 1 | 1,230 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Pastoral Studies/Counseling | 1,323 |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | 678 |
| Youth Ministry | 327 |
| Women’s Ministry | 75 |
| Urban Ministry | 65 |
| Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies | 30 |
A specialization within Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, lay ministry sits alongside related programs in that field.
More about our data sources and methodologies.